For the first time, a Japanese high court has ordered the operator of a nuclear plant not to restart a reactor.
For the first time, a Japanese high court has ordered the operator of a nuclear plant not to restart a reactor.
The Hiroshima High Court issued the injunction on Wednesday. It ordered Shikoku Electric Power Company not to restart the No. 3 reactor at its Ikata plant in Ehime Prefecture. It’s currently offline for regular inspections.
The decision reverses a lower court order in March. Residents had sued to have the reactor shut down, citing the threat of a serious accident.
The latest lawsuit considered whether Shikoku Electric had properly assessed the risk to the plant posed by the largest possible earthquake and eruptions of nearby volcanoes.
